Fans who turned up to a Jay-Z exhibit in central London got the rapper himself. Clips circulating on Tuesday, September 1 show him walking into the JAY-Z 30 installation in Trafalgar Square, moving through the crowd and greeting people as phones came out around him.
The installation opened that same day as part of his 30th anniversary campaign, and it is built largely around the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint. The space uses early-2000s televisions to screen videos and performances tied to that stretch of his career, with limited-edition merchandise available across a five-day run that ends September 5.
London has been getting the anniversary treatment in stages. A separate pop-up opened at the UMusic Shop in Camden on August 27, stocked with London-exclusive merchandise and vinyl, with local DJs playing in the evenings; that one ran through September 2.
The timing puts him in front of fans days before his first solo UK concerts since the Magna Carta World Tour in 2013. He last played Britain in 2018 alongside Beyonce on the On the Run II Tour. The September 4 and 5 shows at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are the only UK dates on this run.
Expectations for guests are high because of what preceded them. His three nights at Yankee Stadium leaned on surprise appearances, with Beyonce, Rihanna, Eminem and Nas all joining him in New York. No guests have been announced for Tottenham.
After London the run moves to France for a September 10 show, then returns to the United States for two Los Angeles dates in October. Our earlier coverage includes the Yankee Stadium guests and an October 24 SoFi Stadium date that falls on Drake's birthday. Every announced run is on the tour guide, and the hip-hop hub carries the rest.
The facts
- Jay-Z appeared unannounced at the Trafalgar Square installation on September 1.
- The JAY-Z 30 installation runs five days, through September 5.
- It is built around the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint.
- A separate Camden pop-up ran from August 27 to September 2.
- He plays Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 4 and 5.
- They are his first solo UK shows since the 2013 Magna Carta World Tour.
- The run continues in France on September 10 and Los Angeles in October.
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